Peter Reid last night defended ban-threatened midfielder Gavin McCann in an impassioned plea to football's decision-makers not to turn players into robots.

A further caution in tonight's home Premiership clash with Tottenham will see England international McCann facing a ban after having already picked up four bookings in the opening six games of the season.

Reid's charges have received 11 top-flight yellow cards, while Kevin Phillips is facing a Football Association probe following a clash with Lee Hendrie in Sunday's draw at Aston Villa.

And that puts the Black Cats in danger of FA censure following their dire disciplinary record last season, which left the club with a suspended #50,000 fine hanging over it.

Reid, who despite reports to the contrary in France is unlikely to move for Bordeaux's French international striker Christophe Dugarry while retaining an interest in West Ham's Trevor Sinclair, claims McCann has been unlucky more than once when falling foul of referees this season.

The Sunderland boss said: "Gavin's got four yellow cards and two of those have been for kicking the ball away when he's not heard the whistle.

"For one of those, against Sheffield Wednesday, we were 2-1 down at the time - so you tell me the logic in that.

"I've seen other players do it so often without being booked and that's what gets me mad. It happened four times at the weekend. Gavin McCann is not a dirty player."

Despite the increasing number of red and yellow cards in the Premiership, Reid - who was swift to fine McCann for the opening-day booking the midfielder picked up for dissent - denies the game has become more physical.

"If you tell people to take the passion out of it you've not got a game. I'm not condoning players who get booked at all, but do you want robots out there or do you want players?

"I'm just trying to make the point that you are going to have sendings-off and you are going to have people reacting to tackles where you wish they wouldn't, but that's human nature."

Instead, Reid puts the growing prevalence of cards down to the number of directives referees have to deal with, in addition to the increasing media scrutiny - something which Sunderland will again encounter tonight during Sky's live coverage of the game for which a limited number of tickets remain.

Reid added: "The physical side's gone out of the game more than anything. Players have always had a responsibility, but it's an emotive game and players can lose their heads and for that they pay the penalty.

"The obvious thing is that the technology has got better and for players and managers now, if you do things, you're not going to get away with it."

Jody Craddock and George McCartney will continue in the heart of Sunderland's defence in the continued absence of Emerson Thome.

Spurs are hoping to push through a #10m deal for Southampton defender Dean Richards before tonight's clash.